Thank you for posting! I savour every second - I'm sure I listen to this interview in its entirety multiple times a week! Grace is simply sublime. Her Turandot is superlative, as is her Salome and Jenufa. I'm unaware of any mezzos singing these roles...
This Is Gold. so frank and so very to the point. " I am quite busy!" no words people in power ever want to hear but it must be said sometimes. I've been there and said the same thing! (Which too did end my relationship with a company)
Callas lived in NYC only till she was 13, and after that she spoke Greek and then Italian. Almost all her contact with the English language was with the British, mostly Walter Legge who had a super thick British accent. She was also a very gifted linguist and would naturally adapt her inflection and adapt to her surroundings. I have always loved Price's Mississippi accent, though I found Norman's speech a bit over-inflated. And black singers also have to deal with being judged if they let a trace of the black accent break through. I've always enjoyed listening to all of these great ladies.
Bumbry never suffered fools gladly...some call it arrogance, others a healthy dose of self-esteem. Whatever it is, I find it absolutely delicious. My favorite role of hers remains Amneris..the role was made for her and she made a meal of it. This interviewer is inexorably annoying particularly when he engages in race baiting. I love how Bumbry shuts this codswallop down!
So straight, no-nonsense and a great singer she was. One of my favourite 'sounds' ever. Unforgettable, among other things, Venus and Eboli. A pity she was't given the Paris version to sing at Bayreuth.
I find it hard to understand how Zucher can question a singer about other living artists, so directly. And let her answer, thinking aloud, without restraint. Was there a controversy between her and Millo? It's a little indecent to demolish colleagues like that on the radio. She is analytical and frank, those are qualities. But she doesn't seem to have much empathy about the effect.
I am also surprised by Miss Bumbry's frankness and wonder if that was really tactful. During the interview she mentioned, none to enthusiastically, that she was slated to sing the Tales of Hoffmann Giulietta during the coming season 1987. A quick check of the Met Opera Archives shows that 1986 was her last season with the Met. Alas she didn't sing Giulietta in 1987. Can this be a result of this interview with Mr. Zucker? In any case, I enjoyed the "kamikaze" interview!
@@Duncan456 That's a very good point and likely so. It's good to note that sometimes people really aren't that fussed. I've worked in Opera a lot and the singers that respect themselves often end up ruffling feathers of megalomaniacs (it's always fun to watch) I too apparently snubbed an Opera house Director without even knowing (I don't play games and work only with people who respect the individual enough to communicate effectively).
Right.. not the role, but she has sung excerpts of Kundry, Ortrud and Brunnhilde, etc., in concert back in '92 used to be on youtube yrs ago but was deleted. However, her concert of singing Wagner excerpts of Sieglinde and other roles are still on YT
Why are we _not_ hearing the cassette tapes of Bumbry's singing that were announced ? Secondly, Bumbry isn't being honest ... she has "no opinion" about Battle's voice ; yet, has an opinion about other singers' voices. Battle as _Sophie_ ( which Bumbry heard ), was one of her greatest vocal-accomplishments. _( von Karajan definitely had an opinion about Battle's voice. The music-lovers of Japan held von Karajan and Battle as the two most popular performers of opera w / Battle surpassing von Karajan, in popularity. )_
As written above: "[NOTE: The musical selections played during the interview are NOT included in this recording, but most, if not all, could probably be found elsewhere online." No point in posting recordings with bad sound quality when good ones already exist online. I probably didn't even record the recordings played since I already had them on LP! :-)
@@JussiTTvanVickTheOperaAddict :: Thank you for responding AND especially for posting the interview ! I didn't read very carefully the NOTATION ! ( The editing job was terrific ! )
Perhaps she did not want to say anything about Battle that would be portrayed as negative.. I am sure that she could have said a lot about how small her voice was (no shade towards Battle), and Bumbry did say in this interview that she likes large, lush voices, not something small and insignificant.
@baritoneblazzin1965 :: I don't remember Bumbry saying that she liked "large and lush" voices ( I will go back and listen ) ; secondly, whatever the size of Battle's voice, her career was hardly small & insignificant and von Karajan admired her voice and worked with her a number of times. What is really unfortunate is that too many people seem to want all opera singers to have large voices. Opera offers opportunities for all types of voices. Counter-tenors/male "sopranos" are having their turn on stages and recordings.
@baritoneblazzin1965 :: Ok ! I listened again. Bumbry was evasive on Battle's singing as _Sophie,_ the trio scene. Bumbry would have formed an opinion as I wrote earlier, but she chose not to elaborate. No one can hear the beauty of Battle's voice and not "remember". Secondly ::: Bumbry's remark about large and lush voices comes way before the subject of Battle. Thirdly ::: Bumbry never said anything about small and insignificant voices. That must have come from your opinion, but the way you commented, made it seem as if Bumbry had said it. No matter ! Thank you for taking me back to this video. It was enjoyable, again.
I agree with Bumbry 's opinions Re make up. However, questions like Callas/Tebaldi etc should not be asked at all, even if people were perhaps still somewhat interested at the time. But I don't think it's fair to ask a professional singer to speak up her mind on such a topic or what she thinks of other artists. Sounds like Zucker is fishing for tittle-tattle rather than music.
@@JussiTTvanVickTheOperaAddict that was the problem with La Bumbry. She tried to much and her top soprano voice was very limited and strained. I loved her so much better as a Mezzo. Arnold Bourbon Amaral
@@arnoldamaral7406 My teacher, her first voice teacher. tried to tell her that she was not a soprano. La Bumbry was not at all happy, and went right ahead. Oh, well.
I agree. And also, Turandot is the ice princess, and Bumbry's voice is the farthest voice from icy that there is. Her incredible warmth works against her there.
@@robertharrison9161 She was a natural soprano. Her voice has nothing of a mezzo. The problem is that her top her limited and already at B5 she was screaming. Unlike popular opinion I do not even believe she was a spinto or dramatic soprano. Bumbry was a lyric soprano.
Ghena in an interview said something about Bumbry and Verrett singing soprano and mezzo and how you cannot just push a button and switch back and forth.
LOLOL PFFFFFF she s sooo full of herself. APRILE MILLO has so much more class and refinement in her art. Bumbry is jealous of MILLO. sorry. even Renata Scotto was jealous of MILLO and she wasn t even singing anymore. a lot of singers are jealous of MILLO. (and what s with the voice of the interviewer?! he seems obsessed with MILLO too!!!!). Bumbry s contradicting herself here. laughable.
i think zucker was obsessed with the endless questions about Millo so i wouldn’t blame Bumbry for answering the questions. i thought overall she was very fair and astute in her observations about Millo.
Hurricane Ghena had a very blunt instrument, it was not beautiful or very nuanced. it surprised me that she sang Norma, Leonora (Trovatore) and Elvira (Ernani). Tosca was quite difficult for her too.
@@biancacastafiore8760I agree. I saw her in Gioconda. Dimitrova's enormous sound was impressive, but, she didn't seem to have ability to shade and color her sound so as to bring out the subtle facets of Gioconda's character. It's so curious to me that Tebaldi's skill at shifting vocal weight, coloring, phrase shaping and shading in service of revealing personality of the character at hand is not frequently cited as it is in Callas. Dimitrova seemed to have a restricted ability to characterize.
@@jameslevister153 I recall reading a review of her Tosca, in which the critic said “her voice does not caress”. A heavy and very dark voice, with not much nuance.
This is everything
Interviews like this are hard enough to come by, let alone 3 hours 👏🏽🙌🏾 And the large scale spilling is delicious
Glad you enjoyed Amazing Grace; more (other) diva interviews are coming soon!
@@JussiTTvanVickTheOperaAddict can hardly wait my friend. like Sands through an hourglass so are the days of our lives. Arnold
This woman takes no nonsense and I love it, lmao
I love Ms. Bumbry!! She is a quality of her own and love her for it. Zucker is a joke as an interviewer. Some of his questions are just ridiculous !
Thank you for posting! I savour every second - I'm sure I listen to this interview in its entirety multiple times a week! Grace is simply sublime. Her Turandot is superlative, as is her Salome and Jenufa. I'm unaware of any mezzos singing these roles...
I love when Zucker tries to get her to play the victim in regard to her Bayreuth debut and she's not having any, no sir!
This Is Gold. so frank and so very to the point. " I am quite busy!" no words people in power ever want to hear but it must be said sometimes. I've been there and said the same thing! (Which too did end my relationship with a company)
This was an absolute delight to hear!
Thank you for posting this interview, It was interesting and entertaining.
To say the least my friend interesting LOL I love Shirley Verrett I said it and I'm glad. 💙🇫🇷🎵🎼🎶 Arnold Bourbon Amaral
Callas lived in NYC only till she was 13, and after that she spoke Greek and then Italian. Almost all her contact with the English language was with the British, mostly Walter Legge who had a super thick British accent. She was also a very gifted linguist and would naturally adapt her inflection and adapt to her surroundings. I have always loved Price's Mississippi accent, though I found Norman's speech a bit over-inflated. And black singers also have to deal with being judged if they let a trace of the black accent break through. I've always enjoyed listening to all of these great ladies.
Bumbry's volume was legendary.
A voice teacher of mine heard her in 1959 and said when she sang she felt like someone had taken earplugs out of her ear.
so messy but i love it
Bumbry never suffered fools gladly...some call it arrogance, others a healthy dose of self-esteem. Whatever it is, I find it absolutely delicious. My favorite role of hers remains Amneris..the role was made for her and she made a meal of it. This interviewer is inexorably annoying particularly when he engages in race baiting. I love how Bumbry shuts this codswallop down!
So straight, no-nonsense and a great singer she was. One of my favourite 'sounds' ever. Unforgettable, among other things, Venus and Eboli. A pity she was't given the Paris version to sing at Bayreuth.
She sang the Paris version at the Met. The still current production of Tannhauser.
Thank you very much for this video !
Very interesting interview. Very honest. I'm curious what her issue with price was
Thumbs down now that this video has commercials...👎👎👎
I find it hard to understand how Zucher can question a singer about other living artists, so directly. And let her answer, thinking aloud, without restraint. Was there a controversy between her and Millo? It's a little indecent to demolish colleagues like that on the radio. She is analytical and frank, those are qualities. But she doesn't seem to have much empathy about the effect.
You can adjust the speed in the UA-cam Settings and slow her down so you can understand every word! Enjoy!
I am also surprised by Miss Bumbry's frankness and wonder if that was really tactful. During the interview she mentioned, none to enthusiastically, that she was slated to sing the Tales of Hoffmann Giulietta during the coming season 1987. A quick check of the Met Opera Archives shows that 1986 was her last season with the Met. Alas she didn't sing Giulietta in 1987. Can this be a result of this interview with Mr. Zucker? In any case, I enjoyed the "kamikaze" interview!
@@Duncan456 interesting... perhaps so.
@@Duncan456 That's a very good point and likely so. It's good to note that sometimes people really aren't that fussed. I've worked in Opera a lot and the singers that respect themselves often end up ruffling feathers of megalomaniacs (it's always fun to watch) I too apparently snubbed an Opera house Director without even knowing (I don't play games and work only with people who respect the individual enough to communicate effectively).
Rysanek was right to advise Bumbry to do Kundry, which could have been written for her hybrid voice. But she didn't do it.
Right.. not the role, but she has sung excerpts of Kundry, Ortrud and Brunnhilde, etc., in concert back in '92 used to be on youtube yrs ago but was deleted. However, her concert of singing Wagner excerpts of Sieglinde and other roles are still on YT
Why are we _not_ hearing the cassette tapes of Bumbry's singing that were announced ?
Secondly, Bumbry isn't being honest ... she has "no opinion" about Battle's voice ; yet, has an opinion about other singers' voices. Battle as _Sophie_ ( which Bumbry heard ), was one of her greatest vocal-accomplishments.
_( von Karajan definitely had an opinion about Battle's voice. The music-lovers of Japan held von Karajan and Battle as the two most popular performers of opera w / Battle surpassing von Karajan, in popularity. )_
As written above: "[NOTE: The musical selections played during the interview are NOT included in this recording, but most, if not all, could probably be found elsewhere online."
No point in posting recordings with bad sound quality when good ones already exist online. I probably didn't even record the recordings played since I already had them on LP! :-)
@@JussiTTvanVickTheOperaAddict ::
Thank you for responding AND especially for posting the interview !
I didn't read very carefully the NOTATION !
( The editing job was terrific ! )
Perhaps she did not want to say anything about Battle that would be portrayed as negative.. I am sure that she could have said a lot about how small her voice was (no shade towards Battle), and Bumbry did say in this interview that she likes large, lush voices, not something small and insignificant.
@baritoneblazzin1965 :: I don't remember Bumbry saying that she liked "large and lush" voices ( I will go back and listen ) ; secondly, whatever the size of Battle's voice, her career was hardly small & insignificant and von Karajan admired her voice and worked with her a number of times.
What is really unfortunate is that too many people seem to want all opera singers to have large voices. Opera offers opportunities for all types of voices. Counter-tenors/male "sopranos" are having their turn on stages and recordings.
@baritoneblazzin1965 :: Ok !
I listened again. Bumbry was evasive on Battle's singing as _Sophie,_ the trio scene. Bumbry would have formed an opinion as I wrote earlier, but she chose not to elaborate. No one can hear the beauty of Battle's voice and not "remember".
Secondly :::
Bumbry's remark about large and lush voices comes way before the subject of Battle.
Thirdly :::
Bumbry never said anything about small and insignificant voices. That must have come from your opinion, but the way you commented, made it seem as if Bumbry had said it.
No matter !
Thank you for taking me back to this video. It was enjoyable, again.
Dieser Zucker mit seiner kranken Stimme muss doch die Sänger irre machen.
His voice certainly gets on my nerves.
@@DM-wj8br ::
Have you heard him sing ?
@@cliffgaither Yes, it was hilarious
lol
I agree with Bumbry 's opinions Re make up. However, questions like Callas/Tebaldi etc should not be asked at all, even if people were perhaps still somewhat interested at the time. But I don't think it's fair to ask a professional singer to speak up her mind on such a topic or what she thinks of other artists. Sounds like Zucker is fishing for tittle-tattle rather than music.
who is the interviewer please and where can I find his other interviews?
As listed in the details: Stefan Zucker.
He has more here: www.belcantosociety.org/
I may post some more evenutally.
Turandot was NOT her role. Not that she did not have the vocal size for it BUT BUMBRY DID NOT HAVE THE INCREDIBLY HIGH TESSITURA for Turandot.
True that! But it was fun to hear her try. :-)
@@JussiTTvanVickTheOperaAddict that was the problem with La Bumbry. She tried to much and her top soprano voice was very limited and strained. I loved her so much better as a Mezzo. Arnold Bourbon Amaral
@@arnoldamaral7406 My teacher, her first voice teacher. tried to tell her that she was not a soprano. La Bumbry was not at all happy, and went right ahead. Oh, well.
I agree. And also, Turandot is the ice princess, and Bumbry's voice is the farthest voice from icy that there is. Her incredible warmth works against her there.
@@robertharrison9161 She was a natural soprano. Her voice has nothing of a mezzo. The problem is that her top her limited and already at B5 she was screaming. Unlike popular opinion I do not even believe she was a spinto or dramatic soprano. Bumbry was a lyric soprano.
Grace read Dimitrova!
Prima critica e poi copia.
💀💀💀
Ghena in an interview said something about Bumbry and Verrett singing soprano and mezzo and how you cannot just push a button and switch back and forth.
I must say bumbry is the most arrogant and dismissive opera singer i have heard is very thoughtless
And yet, so entertaining sometimes! :-)
It becomes so negative. She could not bring herself to say anything positive of anyone AND I LISTENED FOR THE ENTIRE 3 hours
A woman being direct is often dismissed.
@@lestermatos2989 ::
That isn't true. She has great respect for Lotte Lehman.
@@lestermatos2989 give it one more listen. 5:30 Mme Bumbry said she saw/heard Nilsson in Tristan and thought it was mind-boggling.
LOLOL PFFFFFF she s sooo full of herself. APRILE MILLO has so much more class and refinement in her art. Bumbry is jealous of MILLO. sorry. even Renata Scotto was jealous of MILLO and she wasn t even singing anymore. a lot of singers are jealous of MILLO. (and what s with the voice of the interviewer?! he seems obsessed with MILLO too!!!!). Bumbry s contradicting herself here. laughable.
i think zucker was obsessed with the endless questions about Millo so i wouldn’t blame Bumbry for answering the questions. i thought overall she was very fair and astute in her observations about Millo.
@@biancacastafiore8760exactly..nobody is jealous of precious little Millo 😅
Dimitrova's Abigaille was actually quite good. Brumby's was not. Dimitrova was miles above you dear.
Hurricane Ghena had a very blunt instrument, it was not beautiful or very nuanced. it surprised me that she sang Norma, Leonora (Trovatore) and Elvira (Ernani). Tosca was quite difficult for her too.
@@biancacastafiore8760I agree. I saw her in Gioconda. Dimitrova's enormous sound was impressive, but, she didn't seem to have ability to shade and color her sound so as to bring out the subtle facets of Gioconda's character. It's so curious to me that Tebaldi's skill at shifting vocal weight, coloring, phrase shaping and shading in service of revealing personality of the character at hand is not frequently cited as it is in Callas. Dimitrova seemed to have a restricted ability to characterize.
@@jameslevister153 I recall reading a review of her Tosca, in which the critic said “her voice does not caress”. A heavy and very dark voice, with not much nuance.